Abuse of the week
Each week, AIA will release specific egregious abuses involving the IRS and any negative consequences on American taxpayers. It is our hope that by highlighting such abuses, structural reforms will be instituted to clean up accountability issues within the agency.
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Former IRS employee Deceives Elderly Woman out of Life Savings
A disturbing case involving a former IRS employee who defrauded an elderly woman out of her life savings raises urgent questions about IRS culture and the need for changing any negative learned behaviors of its former employees.
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The Same IRS Employees Who Enforce the Tax Code Are Evading It Themselves
AIA spotlights a troubling issue: current and former IRS employees, many of them repeat offenders, owe nearly $46 million in back taxes to the federal government.
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IRS Civil Penalty Administration “Often Unfair, Discouraging Tax Compliance”
AIA highlights a shocking report from the National Taxpayer Advocate, which introduces what it considers to be the “most serious problems encountered by taxpayers.”
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IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers are Dysfunctional and Discourage Tax Compliance
A February 2025 TIGTA report confirmed what we already knew about IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs): taxpayers across the country suffer from an inadequate, dysfunctional service system.
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IRS Initiated Direct File Development Before Authorization
AIA highlights a former IRS employee who, uncoerced, admitted via blog post that the IRS Direct File team began developing the platform well before receiving the authorization to do so.
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Taxpayer Advocate Service Releases Mid-Year Report, Cites Persistent Issues
The Taxpayer Advocate Service reported the prevalence of issues that have plagued the IRS for years. Even greater issues will arise ahead of 2026 if key reforms are not instituted.
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TIGTA Highlights IRS Failures Amidst Crypto Crackdown
It’s clear to AIA that the IRS has crypto in its crosshairs. The IRS is now taking targeted actions against crypto and other digital assets. This comes after the IRS pushed for Coinbase user data, which the Supreme Court rejected.
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TIGTA Highlights Millions in Improper IRS Payments on Legacy Systems
A recent report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) uncovered millions in improper payments made by the IRS for legacy systems. Much went towards outdated computer systems, programming languages, or application software.
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How should the IRS be using AI?
Last year, Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) opened an inquiry into the IRS’s use of artificial intelligence to monitor Americans' financial information—without a warrant or legal process.
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IRS Million Dollar Mistake
This week, AIA spotlights an instance of reckless negligence, that caused undue harm to an innocent family in New Jersey.
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